Monthly Archives: April 2012

Because I’m silly

Posted on April 30, 2012 by SewTara| Leave a comment

I didn’t announce my next Create Along pattern. This one’s a freebie and I hope someone will play along with me! Add a pic to the Flickr group, I’ll share it here, you’ll have more friends, you’ll be cooler.

Ok, back to the task at hand, I’m going to make, hopefully some, of these produce bags.

I’ll have to be disciplined this week in getting things done this week. Friday night I’m heading to Ottawa to check out the Urban Craft Market. I really want to be part of it but I’m busy for the June one and then the next pile of weekends are holiday weekends and October is Wesley’s bday. So I’m hoping to table at the November show. Right now all my stock is on sale at the local art gallery and with all the NYC trips I wasn’t able to build up enough to table at this months show.

I’ve read that you should check out a show before you table there and I’ve never actually done that. Plus, I went to university in Ottawa and lived there for 9 years. I’m looking forward to checking things out, seeing how it’s changed and meeting up with some friends. I think these NYC weekends have given me the bug for wandering cities on foot until I can barely walk anymore.

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Posted in createalong, sewing

Friday Create Along

Posted on April 27, 2012 by SewTara| 1 Comment

Ok first order of business is picking the lucky giveaway winner! Aaaaannnnd it’s Lee! Congrats Lee, Cristina has your info and will contact you. Have fun getting all pretty.

Next up is the addmission that I’m not done my camera pouch yet. I was on the second to last step last night and I can’t get the project to reach my needle! The arm part of my machine is just a touch too long for the project to slide up so I can stitch it. I tried as best as I could but when I turned it righside out there’s spots where the stitching didn’t catch all the layers. I’m going to check with some neighbours to see if their machine’s have shorter arm pieces and I’ll be able to slip the pouch on. I choose the small pattern, guess I shouldn’t have! Reveal coming soon.

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Posted in createalong

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If anyone has this please find a way to share!

Posted on April 26, 2012 by SewTara| 3 Comments

Well today my Martha appearance aired. My friend from all events Etsy, Amy of TinyGiraffe, says we were in the first 20 minutes quite a few times.

Here’s my professional shot from the end of the show. It’s posted on the Martha Stewart site. I’m hoping they get everyone’s picture up, I really wanted to check everyone out.

We watched a How To by this lovely lady and we were given her book along with some materials to give it a try.

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Spot my cozies on the Martha Stewart Show!

Posted on April 25, 2012 by SewTara| 1 Comment

Well thanks to some help from Outright.com to pay for my part of my Etsy Success Symposium trip, I was able to justify traveling back to NYC this past weekend to be part of The Etsy Show at the Martha Stewart Show. It was a special show with the audience made up of only Etsy sellers. We were invited to attend, many of the people had been at the symposium as well.

I know I still haven’t gotten to writing much about that day yet and here I am forging ahead but at the symposium I sort of stood out, being Canadian, having travelled so far, receiving the Outright scholarship thingie. I was known to Etsy admin and some of the people attending.

It was really neat to bump into many of them on Monday again. In fact, things ran a bit late and I realized it was after 4 and I had a 7:30 flight so I ran down to jump in line in front of Etsy admin Kimm so I could get out quick and run off to the subway. Luckily she remembered me, she had the job of telling all the people who were given corporate gifts at the symposium the good news so we spent some time talking.

The show is going to air tomorrow details here. I’m not even sure we get the channel up here in Canada so someone let me know if you get to see me waving my cup cozies around. I’m the one in the green shirt with a white cardigan. The girl behind me had a giant sparkly M so that might distract you but try to look out for me will ya!

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Posted in crafty books, neat spaces

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Covert robin goodies.

Posted on April 24, 2012 by SewTara| 4 Comments

My gifts arrived a while ago, like a few weeks, I’ve just been so busy with life, sewing and trips to NYC that I haven’t had time to get back to writing about it!

You may recall I made these great sewing kits and sent one to my Covert Robin partner Cassie.

Here are the goodies that arrived for me. And I am ridiculously embarrassed because I cannot find her blog or anything useful to link back to her! Grrrrr.

An awesome little tote, a t-shirt scarf (had never seen/heard of one of those before) and a great pin cushion mason jar full of crafting odds and ends.

I love the sketchy look of the bunting with colourful scraps and the free form stitching.

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Introducing some lovely ladies

Posted on April 23, 2012 by SewTara| 6 Comments

I sent out a ‘How’d you come to be doing what you’re doing right now?’ sort of question to some of my bloggy/creative business friends and here’s what Marilyn of Pulp Sushi had to say.

Not to sound like an old hag but I’ve been blogging for a long time using various mediums (ie: Diaryland, LiveJournal, etc) way before I opened an Etsy shop and I didn’t have much direction. Once I discovered that tapping my creative enegy into jewelry making was for me, that’s where my blogging direction headed. I use my blog to help get the Pulp Sushi brand out there and share with others the inspiration behind what I make and the things that make me gush (ie: puppies, pretty dresses, monsters and dessert).

Fun news: There’s a giveaway going on over at Pulp Sushi right now so run and enter!

Cristina of Obsessive Compulsive had this to say.

I’ve always been a fan of nail polish and makeup. When I was a kid my mom purchased one of the “Klutz” books about nail art (I think they still publish it too!). I used to take it with me to birthday parties and do everyone’s nails. In terms of blogging about my nails and makeup, it just sort of happened. I can’t even remember when I started blogging, and how often my blogging ideas change (probably as often as my nail polish). One day in Chapter’s, I got the idea to create a blog about all the things I’m obsessed with. That’s how I came up with my blog name, and it makes life a little easier to know I can blog about my nails one day or completely change subjects and blog about my dog the next.

She’s also offering up an awesome prize pack, pictured below. Just leave a comment below to enter. I dislike having to jump though hoops to enter giveaways so i don’t require it but a visit to her blog and/or spreading the word about the giveaway would be nice

Enter until Thursday night and I’ll post the winner on Friday with my Create Along post.

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Posted in fun finds

Friday Create Along

Posted on April 20, 2012 by SewTara| 1 Comment

Whew. Ok so here’s my completed NapKitten hamburger wallet thingie. (honestly, I talk like that, meet me I’ll prove it)

It’s cute, but it’s also ridiculously wonky. I had a hard time with this one. I’ve completed 3 NapKitten patterns and I love them all. The wallet was just involved, the phone pouch is super easy and fun, and this . . . I’m not sure what I did but it’s embarassingly crooked and made. I think I choose thick fabrics and because of that I should have bypassed the fleece inside. I might get brave and try another.

The two zippers were interesting to work with, and the assembly is interesting. I, as usual, didn’t read the instructions all the way before starting and the whole time I was thinking “it looks all unfinished inside, how’s it going to get all pretty in there?” then I saw you have to cover it all with bias tape that you make yourself. Bias tape is sort of my nemesis. So for now it’s pretty thready in there.

I’m not done my Keyka Lou camera pouch, which is sad because I have a 9am flight to NYC and I was hoping to pack and pad my camera but oh well. Life sort of got in the way of sewing this week! Silly life. There’s always next week.

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Blue Calla

Posted on April 19, 2012 by SewTara| 1 Comment

I had the pleasure of meeting Celine of Blue Calla a while back at a local event. She makes these beautiful bags and purses so of course I nearly trampled people to get over to her booth. And not surprisingly, I made a purchase.

She uses absolutely fantastic fabrics for her projects and often she uses Keyka Lou patterns *currently on sale*, which I also have a soft spot for. Honestly, she’s after my heart!

Here are some of my favs from her shop. Click images to go to listings.

And in her not a purse or bag category she has some amazing items, like these.

When you’re crafty it’s easy to look at things and think “I can make that” and with many of Blue Calla’s items I actually *can* make it as I have the pattern too, but I still drool over her creations.

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A new home for my sunglasses.

Posted on April 18, 2012 by SewTara| 7 Comments

I love randomly making stuff. I was in my work space looking at a coin purse frame and had this little brainwave.

I really need to learn to draw these patterns out in a way to share/sell them.

I actually cut into a fat quarter Echino fabric I’ve had lying around forever.

My sunglasses fit in perfectly. I took it into work and some of the ladies I work with have sunglasses that are thicker when they’re all folded up, which was sad, but it works for me!

I even managed some fancy print placement.

I’ve got some others in the works, just have to get sewing those frames on.

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Posted in cozy, sewing

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Friday Create Along

Posted on April 13, 2012 by SewTara| 5 Comments

Well a slight wrench was thrown into my Create Along plans for last week, in the form of salmonella poisoning. I’m still a bit grumpy that I sort of wasted a lovely 4 day weekend by battling illness.

Just a reminder I’m creating one ofthese using one of NapKitten‘s great patterns. It’s all cut out and in progress!

Soooo I’m a little too behind for a reveal. But I’ll forge ahead anyhow and launch into the next project all willy nilly!

I’d like to tackle this padded camera pouch from Keyka Lou. As a bonus all her patterns are on sale right now, to celebrate her 4 year anniversary as a pattern maker and seller. Congrats Michelle!

Designing, making and selling patterns is something I’m really interested in. I’ve got some things to learn first but I’m heading in the right direction by sewing up anything I can think of!

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Posted in fun finds, sewing

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